Essence of the Slayer
by Cherry4
Summary: BtVS/Highlander: Set after 'The Gift'. Buffy wasn't just the slayer, but also an immortal. *WIP*
1. Prologue & Chapter One

ARCHIVE: http://www.thekeep.org/~cherry/  
SPOILERS: BtVS: Season five, 'The Gift'; Highlander: Endgame  
  
Prologue  
  
Not long after dusk, two figures stood next to each other in a  
cemetery, looking down at a plain gravestone. One was tall with dark hair  
falling down his back in a loose ponytail, wearing a long duster. The  
other was short, blonde hair falling loosely around her shoulders.  
  
A feminine voice spoke softly, almost reverently. "She saved the  
world.. a lot. Had to be Xander."  
  
"Not many can make the same claim."  
  
A long silence followed. Unnoticed by either, a darkly dressed  
figure mumbling to himself came walking directly at them. Clutched  
tightly in his hand, a small bunch of ragged flowers. Jerking to halt as  
he spotted the two, he faded back, hiding behind a tree, having expected a  
private moment. He tilted his head, listening as the blonde spoke again.  
  
"So that's it."  
  
"Yes. It's time to go, we should have left a week ago." The  
taller figure turned and walked off, followed a moment later by the  
blonde.  
  
The lurking man stepped out behind the tree, a look of shock on  
his face. "Bloody hell." Coming out into the light from the rising moon,  
he rushed over to the graveside, checking to be sure the ground was  
undisturbed. Spike turned in the direction the first two had left.  
"Buffy?"  
  
*****  
  
Chapter One  
  
[Several months later]  
  
The sound of metal clashing together rang loudly in the mostly  
empty room. Whirling blades danced between the two sparring figures,  
lashing out time and again as the two sought an opening in the other. A  
few heartbeats later, and it was over, a yard of sharped steel spinning  
away from the hand of one, and the flat of the blade smacking into the  
back of his neck with a meaty thwack, driving him down to one knee.  
  
He winced slightly, then turned to gaze up at his opponent, a  
pretty blonde girl with a nearly blank expression on her face. The sword  
lay unmoving on his neck. "Planning to finish me already?"  
  
Buffy pulled her blade back at last, anger coloring her tone,  
"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"  
  
Duncan rose to his feet, and retrieved his wayward blade. "Yes,  
it is. Your training is finished, I have nothing more I can teach you."  
He smiled. "And god help the immortal that decides you're an easy mark."  
He watched his student carefully, the disgust plain on her face with the  
thought of becoming a killer. This was a dangerous moment. He had honed  
her impressive natural skills into a lethal weapon that had surpassed even  
his own abilities. He had created a danger to himself as well as other  
immortals. More than one new immortal had become a headhunter by deciding  
it was the lesser of two evils to kill those who live by killing.  
  
The moment passed, and Buffy slid her blade away. She stared at  
him, then bowed before walking away. Duncan let out the breath he'd been  
holding. Finished, at last. The shortest training he'd ever heard of,  
yet it had felt the longest as well. The girl had been determined to  
fight every rule he laid down, resisting until the end. Keeping her in at  
night had been all but impossible, the only rule he'd been able to enforce  
was that she never left without her sword. He wiped his face with a towel  
and grabbed his cell phone. Dialing, he paused then spoke. "It's done.  
I thought for sure she'd take my head at the end; don't underestimate this  
one." He listened for a minute. "Adam... I didn't let her win.  
Alright, until then." He pulled the phone away from his ear and dropped  
it back down again.  
  
It was traditional to end the training only when the student had  
won her first fight. That is, taken her first head. Tradition be damned.  
It would be better if Buffy never took a head at all. She might like it.  
  
*****  
  
The man who called himself Adam hung up the phone and finished his  
beer. It wasn't the first time MacLeod had expressed doubts, nor was it  
the first time that Adam wondered if he was right. Instead of sending the  
boy scout to train her, he should have simply taken her head.  
  
The prophecy was clear, though. She was born to hunt those who  
preyed upon the weak, the predator of predators. It was the one thing she  
had never resisted, had, in fact, embraced it from the first night,  
insisting she had to go out.  
  
Go slaying, that is. MacLeod had kept him well informed, keeping  
track of the nights she came back in torn clothing. The hardest part had  
been explaining the unusual slimes that often found her clothing. Duncan  
wasn't exactly naïve, but there was no need to explain her true calling to  
him. So long as no headless bodies turned up, Duncan accepted it.  
  
It had been his own self doubts that had caused him to send  
MacLeod to Sunnydale. This was the third time the prophecy had appeared  
to indicate a slayer would become immortal. He had been present for the  
first two. Nothing had happened though. One had been drained of blood,  
the other had her own stake turned against her. Neither one had returned.  
  
Adam didn't take dissappointment well. So when the third  
possibility arrived, he found someone else to send. And damned if this  
one wasn't the true immortal. She'd even died once before and come back,  
drowning nearly four years before. So MacLoed did his duty and trained  
her.  
  
His part was done as well. Rather, it was just starting. It  
hadn't been easy, but he'd pulled strings until the watcher assigned to  
her was one Adam Pierson. All he'd had to do was make Methos vanish for a  
time, and suggest that this new one might lead to finding Methos again.  
Rather stupidly dangerous, when he thought about it.  
  
*****  
  
She stared out the window of the car during the entire trip.  
Duncan had explained about immortal culture and the game, and virtually  
everything she'd need to know. He'd left out one part until her training  
was finished. Watchers.  
  
A society of watchers who were sworn not to interfere. Each one  
had an assignment, and it was a point of pride that the watched immortal  
never even knew he or she was being watched. However, Duncan knew his  
watcher. Joe something or other. And she'd get to meet hers. Adam  
Pierson.  
  
She had glared and wanted to know why she was different. Just  
because he knew his watcher? Duncan had been slow to respond, eventually  
telling her that Adam had a reason, and Adam would have to tell her  
himself.  
  
Duncan's voice interrupted her musings on watchers. "We're here."  
Here seemed to be a bar named 'Joe's'. Great, another watcher with a  
drinking problem.  
  
*****  
  
Duncan waited for her to get out of the car, looking away from her  
so as to avoid giving any kind of signal. He could sense an immortal  
nearby, but to date, Buffy had seemed to lack that sense. He could even  
recall her exact words when he'd discussed it with her. 'So the Buffy  
immortal radar is a no-go, Sounds about right.'  
  
He watched out of the corner of his eye as she startled, looking  
back at him with a faintly surprised look on her face. "The radar working  
now?"  
  
She nodded. "It's really irritating, too."  
  
Duncan simply laughed. "That it is. But one that can keep you  
alive." He paused, then continued in a softer tone. "I knew one of us  
would be here to meet you, but be ready in case it's not the one I  
expected." With that, he walked into the bar, not looking to see if she  
followed.  
  
*****  
  
Long used to the habits of these long-lived subjects, Joe looked  
at the door when the man in front of him did. He smiled in greeting as  
Duncan came in, followed by the tiny blond girl. As was his wont, Duncan  
had been absent for weeks at a time, utterly focused on imbedding the  
knowledge required to keep his new charge alive. He politely moved away  
from the table as Duncan moved to sit down, the girl moving to sit only  
after Duncan gestured, her left hand pulling out from under her coat as  
she did so. The move was so subtle, it was only as Joe moved behind the  
bar that he realized she'd been on the edge of drawing a sword.  
  
  
The man they had come there to meet had a rather arrogant look to  
his face. "Buffy, this is Adam Pierson, the most annoying man alive.   
Adam, this is Buffy Summers, the most frustrating student I've ever had.   
You were made for each other."  
  
Buffy simply rolled her eyes. "Don't start playing-" She cut  
herself off, then stared at Duncan. "But he's...!" She stopped herself a  
second time, not wanting to say it too loudly, and continued in a near  
whisper, "He's like us. I thought you said watchers weren't."  
  
"Ordinarily, no. I'm a special case. I thought it might be  
clever to infiltrate the watchers, and get myself assigned to, well,  
myself." Adam availed himself of the fresh beer.  
  
Buffy simply glared at him. "What's that got to do with me?"  
  
"You, my dear, would upset the balance of the game. So I have  
taken it upon myself to act as your guardian so you never have to take  
part. After all, I have a great deal of practice in avoiding it."  
  
  
The conversation staggered for the rest of the evening, Adam being  
as charming as he knew how, having had centuries to perfect his style.  
Buffy's mood never improved that much, being told that she'd wasted the  
last few months was nearly beyond bearing, despite the fact that she never  
had intended to use the training at all.  
  
*****  
  
Duncan grimaced. Buffy could be trying at the best of times, but  
tonight she was in rare form. And he hadn't even told her that she  
wouldn't be leaving with him.  
  
"Buffy, there's another reason I wanted you to meet Adam tonight.  
Since your training is finished, it's time for you to make your new life."  
Duncan let her digest that for a second, unsurprised that her only  
response was a hooded stare. "Adam can help you with that better than I  
could."  
  
Adam nodded, and caught her attention. "You cannot return to your  
old life, you know this. As long as you agree not to try, I can  
compromise this much. We'll go to L.A.; I'm aware that you would feel  
most at home in California. You must promise me, however, that you will  
make no attempts to contact anyone you left behind."  
  
Buffy let the silence stretch out until it was painfully  
uncomfortable. "Fine. I promise."  
  
Duncan got up, and politely made his goodbyes. In a decade or  
three, perhaps the sharp edge of her tongue would have worn down. And if  
not, he would simply try to go another handful of decades before seeing  
her.  
  
Adam watched her as Duncan left. She hadn't even turned to look  
at him going, a very bad sign in his opinion. She'd set herself apart  
from humanity, and it was humanity that needed her most. No matter. He  
knew a great deal about living, having had more life than most. If he  
couldn't help her, he had no idea who could.  
  
"We'd best be off. Miles to go, you know."  
  
Buffy silently followed the ancient immortal away from the bar.  
She resolved that she had played it by their rules long enough, it was  
time to return to Sunnydale.   
  
-- End Chapter One  
NOTES: Buffy was pre-immortal when she was chosen as the Slayer. The two  
were not compatible, however, since both powers trigged upon death. The  
Slayer power, which had been active since the death of the previous  
Slayer, was primary during her first death, and blocked the immortal  
transition. Xander's CPR /did/ save her life. At her second death, the  
already triggered Slayer transition did not interfere, allowing the  
immortal power to become active, and she woke up in the morgue. BTW, poor  
Methos got it wrong. The first two slayer/immortals simply needed a  
near-death experience to call the next slayer, then they could have become  
immortal.  
$Revision: 1.14 $  
$Date: 2002/02/03 06:38:43 $ 


	2. Chapter Two

The burly vampire running through the cemetery was fast enough  
that not even Spike could gain on him. Down between the stones they ran,  
Tara, who had been right behind Spike, fell further behind by the second.  
Coming around the corner of a crypt, the vampire vanished from sight for a  
few seconds. During those few seconds, a loud yell was heard, and the by  
now familiar sound a body impacting against stone hard enough to crack the  
stone.  
  
Spike rounded the crypt, and skidded to a halt in shock. A short  
blonde girl in mostly leather clothing was brutally beating the vamp,  
dodging his blows all the while. He stared while she continued to pound  
on the outmatched vampire, long enough for Tara to catch up and pant for  
air next to him. She gasped out, "Buffy?"  
  
Buffy didn't respond as she lifted the weakly resisting vamp with  
one hand, hurling him against the wall of the crypt again, followed by a  
wooden stake that finished him.  
  
"That'll put marzipan in your pie-plate, bingo!"  
  
*****  
  
"Bot's got skills," Xander said approvingly as the entire gang  
walked away from the fight.  
  
"Yes, well done, Willow. However..."  
  
Tara interrupted Giles. "Why does she keep talking about food?"  
  
Willow blushed and looked over at the happy expression on the  
bot's face. "I think her quip database got corrupted when I tried to  
upgrade it and crosslinked to the cooking database."  
  
Spike's low voice cut thought the happy conversation. "It's still  
not going to be enough. She's out there, somewhere. We need a real  
slayer."  
  
"Maybe she won't come back," Xander said hopefully.  
  
"Of course she will. We've been over this a thousand times. If  
only I hadn't carried her. If only it hadn't been enough. If only we'd  
found out sooner. Well, it happened. I don't know how, I don't know why,  
but she came back. I /saw/ her, damnit." Spike finished ranting and they  
walked on in silence.  
  
Willow was the first to break it. "No one blames you Spike."  
  
"I blame myself. It had to have been my blood, I was the only one  
there, and I certainly had enough of it leaking out that night."  
  
What went unsaid was that a slayer could not be turned, nor was it  
said that one who was turned should combine the strength of a slayer with  
the strength of a vampire.  
  
*****  
  
Giles read the codex passage again. Like most of the prophecies,  
it was fairly clear. And what it so clearly indicated was that Buffy  
would return.  
  
"The destruction of the golem shall signal the return."  
  
When her body had vanished from the morgue, they had acted quickly  
to cover up her death, holding an extremely private memorial and placing a  
stone that Xander had had made in a small clearing. The soul binding had  
failed, however. Willow and Tara had tried a number of times, eventually  
coming to the unpleasant conclusion that Buffy's soul was beyond their  
reach. The robot had been repaired, and the masquerade that the Slayer  
was still alive had begun.  
  
Then Giles had checked the codex. The literal prophecy could be  
thwarted, yes. Turn off the bot, and it would not be destroyed. But that  
would not prevent the return, it would simply allow it to happen without  
anyone finding out. Instead, Giles had asked Willow to spend as much time  
as possible on the bot's combat abilities. If it was Buffy herself, or  
rather, her vampire counterpart, who was to destroy the Buffybot, then  
either the improvements would be irrelevant, or perhaps, they might be  
just enough for the bot to escape and warn them.  
  
It was worth the effort. Willow had done an impressive job, with  
Spike assisting her by tracking down Warren, and intimidating him into  
providing help. Warren had eventually left Sunnydale, leaving behind a  
note saying he was never coming back, don't come looking no matter what,  
and leave him alone. Giles had politely not asked what Spike had done.  
  
It had been months now. Whatever the demon wearing her skin was  
planning, it would happen soon.  
  
*****   
  
L.A. seemed exactly the same as always. A bright glittering  
veneer covering the second largest demon population in California. Plus  
two pretenders. Acting as his own watcher wasn't the only con-game Adam  
played. He had an account with the law firm Wolfram & Hart, claiming to  
be a type of demon. The firm specialized in demon and vampire clients.  
  
The name rang a faint alarm bell in Buffy's mind, probably just  
something Angel had mentioned once. It wasn't likely there were a large  
number of firms that catered to demons, of course. But she couldn't quite  
remember what it was they had done. It didn't matter. She wasn't the  
Slayer anymore, she was just another demon.  
  
They had a meeting at the firm, early on the next day after  
arriving. Adam wanted to set up an account for her. It was more than  
just a law firm, they'd handle anything she might ever need, and Adam had  
set up a financial transfer as well, all part of the keep Buffy out of the  
Game plan. Which was fine by her, really. He'd explained on the trip  
from Seacouver. He knew what a Slayer was. He knew about her strength.  
And he wanted her safely out of the Game. A Slayer that did not stay dead  
was a weapon against the vampires. One more immortal dragged into the  
game was just a statistic, whether she won or lost. So she needed to  
protect herself from the Game. Wolfram & Hart was the first step.  
  
His only miscalculation was that Buffy misunderstood.  
  
*****  
  
Lilah Morgan wasn't having a good morning. She had a meeting with  
a very important client in ten minutes, and instead of preparing, she was  
listening to a self-important vampire whining about being tossed aside for  
a girl who Angel hadn't even seen in over a year, hadn't dated for two  
years, had killed him three years ago...  
  
/"Ms. Morgan? Your ten o'clock is here."/  
  
Lilah nearly groaned in relief, touching the intercom button.  
"Please show them in." She stood, and made her way around the desk. "I'm  
very sorry Darla, but I'll need to continue this later."  
  
Darla momentarily considered killing her, but simply nodded  
instead. She missed Lindsey, he always listened to her. She was halfway  
across the room when Lilah's next meeting entered, a moderately handsome  
man, followed by a short blond girl, who looked up just at that moment,  
meeting Darla's eyes. Her feet stopped moving.  
  
Buffy's eyes sparkled with delight. "Darla, weren't you dead?"  
Her left arm brushed aside the long jacket, a sword blade appearing from  
underneath it in the same motion. "Allow me to correct that."  
  
"Oooo, scary," Darla hissed through her fangs. What in the hell  
was she doing here?!  
  
"What, no guns this time? It hardly seems fair without them."  
Buffy playfully twirled the sword in her hand.  
  
Lilah could see her bad morning was becoming a very bad morning.  
The afternoon wasn't looking good either.  
  
*****  
  
Somehow, it had all settled down without any bloodshed. The older  
changeling had simply ordered her to put away her sword without killing  
Lilah's assistant, and she had done it. Darla, always quick to seize an  
opportunity, had moved to close the door, taking her cue to act as an  
assistant simply so she could find out why the Slayer was there.  
  
For that's who she was. Buffy Summers, the Slayer. The one  
before Faith, that is. And the other one that Drusilla had killed,  
K-something. Yet the shocking part was that she too was a changeling.  
  
Changelings were an unusual kind of demon breed, and more  
secretive than most. The one who currently called himself Adam was in  
fact their only client of the entire species. At least, until today.  
Lilah knew that they were very long-lived, and always adopted into a human  
family. The name was from the old stories of the fae swapping a newly  
born human for one of their own, allowing human parents to raise the  
child.  
  
Darla was surprisingly useful when she was interested in  
something, allowing Lilah to concentrate on contract details while Darla  
questioned the demons. "You were never the real Slayer?"  
  
Buffy's answering tone was somewhat flippant and amused. "Nope.  
You can't have two slayers, but the Council never questioned it."  
  
Lilah handed over the finalized contract to the male demon. "The  
funds have been transferred as you've requested. All that remains is to  
sign this, and you're all set." She watched as he read it over, then  
pricked his finger, signing it in blood as was standard. There was an  
odd electrical spark on his finger while he was signing. Lilah  
countersigned, handing it next to Buffy.   
  
Buffy cut herself without hesitation, squeezing the finger to  
drain a few drops. She then turned her finger up, to watch the sparking  
closure of the wound, still something she found amazing to watch. Lilah  
found herself exchanging glances with Darla when it happened. Up until  
that point, neither one had been quite sure that she really was a demon.  
  
"That should do it. Legally, you are now Joan Elizabeth Miller.  
If you have any questions, please feel free to..."  
  
Darla cut her off, "Call her assistant. Anytime, night or day.  
After all, it's my job."  
  
*****  
  
Lilah finished reading from her prepared notes. The majority of  
the meeting attendees looked mildly bored, which was fine. She had taken  
the time to include extraneous detail just for that reason. Not that the  
special projects division was normally interesting, except when a project  
was completed. She casually slid the notepad onto the table, and reached  
back with her hand, as if about to sit down, then stopped and stood  
upright again. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention. I had a meeting with  
Buffy Summers today, and signed her as a client." She then sat down,  
acting as if she hadn't dropped a bombshell.  
  
Dead silence reigned as she straighted her papers, pretending not  
to noticed the reactions. As she expected, a single voice came from the  
far end of the table. "The Slayer?"   
  
"From Sunnydale, yes, the one you're thinking of. She's not a  
Slayer, though. Just a changeling demon." Lilah looked up at the head of  
the table. Nathan Reed looked like he was on the verge of a facial  
expression.  
  
"A useful alliance. However, will this interfere with the Angel  
project?"  
  
Lilah fought to hide her smile. "Darla was in my office when she  
arrived. After some initial posturing, they were quite friendly." Nathan  
was so disconcerted she noticed a finger tapping the table.  
  
"Cancel the Billy project. You will come up with a proposal to  
make use of this connection."  
  
Lilah allowed herself to smile. "Yes, sir."  
  
*****  
  
Buffy's voice made him pause as he reached the door. "He'll find  
out eventually."  
  
Adam's response was calm. "And certainly, precipitating it now  
was wildly advisable. You should have mentioned you had history here."  
  
"Oh, right. By the way, I have a vampire ex-boyfriend living in  
L.A., so let's not go there."  
  
Adam opened the door, surprising the woman standing there with her  
hand raised to knock. "Oh, of course! Buffy, you have a guest." He made  
his way past her with a grumble.  
  
Buffy frowned, and made her way to the door, finding a rather  
unexpected visitor. "Darla." She hesitated for a second. "Come in."  
  
-- End Chapter Two  
$Revision: 1.11 $  
$Date: 2002/02/07 05:25:45 $ 


	3. Chapter Three

Darla came in, taking in the neatly orgnized apartment. "Nice  
place."  
  
"So what brings you here, Darla?" Buffy's tone was curious,  
instead of the more expected aggressive one.  
  
"I'm just wondering how a demon could be mistaken for the Slayer."  
  
Buffy pursed her lips together, and speculated, based on something  
Adam had mentioned. "I might be the third of my kind to be mistaken for  
the Slayer. The strength, healing, and natural fighting ability all seem  
to be a natural part of my kind. Except a Slayer is also supposed to be  
able to sense vampires, and I never could."  
  
"How curious. So the real Slayer is locked away in prison." Darla  
gave Buffy a speculative look. "You have given up slaying, right?"  
  
"Not completely." Buffy grinned widely, then continued, "It's  
hard to give up the fighting. Turns out my people live to fight, but  
mostly with each other." She sat down on the new couch, and gestured at a  
chair for Darla. "I think I can restrain myself, if that's what you were  
worried about. So tell me, how did you end up working as an assistant to  
a lawyer? Sounds a little bit beneath you."  
  
"Fantastic benefits. And they paid to relocate me out of hell."  
  
*****  
  
"Goodnight." Buffy leaned on the door, slowly pushing it closed.  
Her mind whirled slightly, trying to understand what she was doing. Being  
friendly with Darla? She's evil, Buffy. Get a clue, she's just trying to  
use you to get at Angel.  
  
Buffy flopped into a chair. Angel. How could she ever face him  
again? Oh, hi Angel! Guess who's not dead? And not human, either. You  
can't forget all the demony goodness that is Buffy. At least we'll have  
forever to... stay apart so neither of us can be happy. That's good for  
your soul.  
  
This wasn't the right time to be thinking about Angel. She knew  
what time it really was, and reached for the phone accordingly.  
  
*****  
  
She was nearly asleep, curled around the warm body. It took more  
than one ring rouse her, blindly reaching for the phone that should be  
next to the bed, hoping to find it before it woke anyone else up. She  
rubbed her eyes with one hand, holding the phone to her ear with the other  
and sleepily answered. "It's really late. I mean, hello?"  
  
//"Dawn? It's Buffy."//  
  
Her heart started pounding in her chest like it was about to  
explode. She stared at the fixed smiling expression on the bot next to  
her, speaking in a near whisper. "You're not Buffy. Buffy's dead." She  
set the phone down, ignoring the voice that tried to reassure her, and ran  
out of Buffy's room to pound on the witches' door, not waiting for an  
answer as she ran inside.  
  
"Willow, Willow! Wake up, she's on the phone!"  
  
Willow woke up to a frantic Dawn shaking her about a phone call.  
She reluctantly got out of bed, going to the phone on her writing desk.  
"Hello, who is this?"  
  
*****  
  
"Hi Willow. Don't freak out, okay? It's me, Buffy." Buffy  
twisted the phone cord around her finger nervously. She barely recognized  
the cold voice that used to be her best friend, when Willow finally  
responded.  
  
//"Buffy's dead. You're just the demon that killed her."//  
  
They knew. Somehow, they already knew. Giles probably had a book  
somewhere that told them all about demons who didn't die. "Will, please.  
It's not like that. I know... I know I'm different now, but that doesn't  
mean we can't still be friends."  
  
//"Don't come back to Sunnydale. You're not the only one who  
knows how to kill demons."// There was a click on the phone as it went  
dead.  
  
Buffy slowly returned the handle to its base. That could have  
gone better.  
  
*****  
  
A plain manila envelope was left on the doorstep of the Hyperion  
hotel the next morning. Bringing it in with the mail, Cordelia left it  
for Angel to see when he woke up. The only address on it was his name in  
large letters.  
  
*****  
  
Willow called an emergency Scooby meeting for the next day,  
including Dawn and Spike and even the bot. Not that she trusted Spike,  
but enemy or ally, it was better to keep him in eyesight.  
  
They went over plans and defenses for hours, covering every  
possibility they could think of, until after the sun had set. Nearly the  
entire evening, Dawn sat curled up in Tara's arms, trying to tune out the  
discussion.   
  
Giles reached up to take off his glasses, and then dropped his  
hand back on the table. "Willow, for the first time, I understand why  
Buffy was unable to deal with Angelus. I... I'm not sure I can do what  
needs to be done this time."  
  
"I can." For the first time since Buffy's arrival in Sunnydale,  
Xander reminded his friends of Jesse. "I had to do it before. It's not  
her, Giles. I can do it." He carefully looked away from Dawn's accusing  
eyes.  
  
Giles was saved from making a response when the phone rang.  
  
*****  
  
"Giles, it's Angel. I have news about Buffy, and it's not good."  
He flipped though the photographs again. All of them were of the same  
living room, and two women, apparently having a peaceful conversation.  
  
//"Yes, we have some news ourselves. She called last night, and  
spoke to Willow."//  
  
Angel flipped to the last photograph, of Buffy sitting alone,  
holding a phone to her ear. "I have pictures from what I can only assume  
was last night, of Buffy in an apartment, probably here in L.A., meeting  
with Darla, then calling someone."  
  
//"Dear Lord. Are you sure it's Darla?"//  
  
He looked at the middle of the sequence again, when Darla had  
walked to the window and looked right at the camera. "Completely. They  
must be working with Wolfram & Hart. Someone wants us to know about  
this."  
  
*****  
  
Giles set the phone down as if it was as fragile as he currently  
felt. "It's gone from worse to worst. Buffy has joined Darla. Angel has  
snaps of them together."  
  
"Darla's not the dangerous one. She was brought back human, and  
Dru turned her." Spike sounded confident as he tried to reassure the  
entire group.  
  
"Darla works with the law firm that Angel has been fighting for  
the last two years. We're not dealing with just vampires."  
  
*****  
  
Joan spent the next day shopping, wasting some of her new found  
wealth. More than once, she got the sensation of being watched, but no  
matter how fast she spun around, there was no one there. It was eerie,  
pretending to be this girl named Joan. She hadn't asked if it was the  
name of a real girl, or one the firm made up for her. Either one would  
have been creepy to know.  
  
Out of morbid fascination, she drove by the Hyperion on her way  
back to the apartment. Then it was past. There was no compelling urge to  
pull over and go see him. For the first time, she knew they were never  
meant to be together. It hurt, but she finally accepted it.  
  
Going into the apartment, she wasn't terribly surprised to find  
Darla already there. She put down her bags, trying to sound as cheerful  
as she didn't feel, "Back so soon?"  
  
Darla held out a folder with a few select photos in it. "These  
were taken last night, and delivered to Angel today." Buffy flipped  
though the pictures, looking up in surprise as she walked to the window,  
trying to match the angle up. They showed Darla entering, sitting down,  
and then leaving. Nothing to indicate the length of the visit.  
  
"I thought I felt someone watching me today."  
  
"You're just jumpy. The apartment is being watched, but that's  
it."  
  
"You knew."  
  
Darla shook her head. "Not until today." Her eyes narrowed. "I  
don't want what they want. They want to bring you and Angel back  
together, so you can lose his soul again."  
  
Buffy tossed the pictures onto the table. "I thought you hated  
his soul. After all, you took it away from him long before I ever did.  
What do you want?"  
  
"I want him miserable. He left me, and he killed me. Most of  
all, I don't want my Angelus working for someone else." Darla sauntered  
over to Buffy, trailing her fingertips up Buffy's arm. "He knows you're  
back. So here's my idea. You and I work together to make sure he's never  
happy enough to lose his soul." Darla stared into Buffy's eyes as she  
slowly wrapped her arms around the entranced blonde's neck. "And what  
could make him more miserable than to see us together?"  
  
*****  
  
A second envelope was found on the second morning. When Cordelia  
brought it in, she woke Angel up. This time it was a videotape.  
  
*****  
  
Buffy stood under the hot water until it ran freezing cold, her  
skin as numb as her insides. She could remember the entire night, but not  
why she'd allowed Darla to...  
  
She shut off the water, and stared at herself in the mirror.  
"You're a demon. You deserve this. It's not your world anymore." She  
watched the water dripping on the floor, and walked out of the bathroom.  
An hour later she found herself in her new car, and headed to Sunnydale.  
She had just enough time to get there before sunset.  
  
The observer across the street had a brief phone conversation that  
resulted in the tracking device attached to the car being activated.  
There was a long delay, then a second conversation as the car headed out  
of the city.  
  
In Lilah's office, she hung up the phone after getting the update.  
"She ran to Sunnydale, as we predicted." Darla simply looked smug as  
Lilah continued. "It must have killed Angel to watch that."  
  
Darla glared and rubbed her shoulder. "She almost killed me. I  
have bite marks. Me!" She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I wonder if  
I could talk her into a second time."  
  
"If this doesn't work, you will."  
  
*****  
  
It was later than she'd expected by the time the Welcome to  
Sunnydale sign appeared. Not that it mattered. Slayer or not, she could  
handle vampires. For a moment, she felt sick as she remembered  
handling... no, block it out.  
  
She rolled to a stop in front of the house. 1630 Revello Drive.  
She could feel her heart pounding as went up the walk to the door. She  
stood there in front of the door, trying to summon up the courage to  
knock, when it suddenly opened. Staring her right in the face was... her  
own face.  
  
"Hello! I know you, you're me." The other girl smiled, "We're  
still very pretty."  
  
Out of sight from Buffy, a familiar voice came closer, "Botty,  
honey, who's at the..." Tara stepped into view, cutting off abruptly as  
she saw both Buffys.  
  
"Tara, hi."  
  
Tara went pale, and grabbed a wooden stake sitting next to the  
door. She held it up and yelled a single word that Buffy didn't  
recognize, the stake leaping from her hand faster than Buffy could react  
to. There was an agonizing pain as it buried itself in her chest. The  
only thing she had time to do was to look up in shock as she collapsed.  
  
-- End Chapter Three  
$Revision: 1.8 $  
$Date: 2003/02/09 22:36:17 $ 


	4. Chapter Four

Awakening was disorienting, as always. There was a disturbing  
pressure on her chest, but Buffy ignored that for the moment to figure out  
where she was. It seemed to be the dining room in her... no, it was  
Dawn's now... house. That resolved, she looked down to see the top half  
of a stake sticking out of her chest, right above where her heart was.  
  
Duncan hadn't mentioned that could happen.  
  
Pulling it out was agonizing, but there was much less blood than  
she'd expected. The last thought she had before blacking out again was  
that she didn't seem to have a heartbeat.  
  
*****  
  
The second wakening wasn't much better, but at least she could  
feel her heart beating again. The bloody stake was still in her hand,  
which she quickly tossed aside, making a stain on the floor. Buffy sat  
up, checking herself for wounds by reflex. The years of slaying had left  
deeply ingrained habits, not quite erased now even though her injuries  
healed so quickly.  
  
She could hear Willow on the phone, talking to someone. She  
sounded kind of scared. Buffy got up, moving across the room to listen  
in.  
  
"No, no dust. She was even a little bit warm when we carried her  
in." A pause while the other person spoke. "Spike's here already."  
Another short pause. "Okay, we'll keep an eye on her body until you get  
here."  
  
Buffy didn't stay to find out what would happen when they  
discovered she was awake again. She grabbed her swords off the table, not  
sparing a thought as to why they were out of her coat, and slipped out the  
front door as quietly as possible.  
  
Her red Miata was still parked in front of the house. The tires  
squealed as she pulled away, almost certainly attracting more attention  
than she wanted, but it was late and it was dark, and no one came running  
out after her.  
  
*****  
  
"None of this makes sense! Why didn't she turn into dust, Spike?"  
Willow glared angrily at Spike, as if it was his fault they had Buffy's  
body stretched out in another room.  
  
"I have no idea, Red. Maybe being the slayer..." He cut off as  
there was a screeching of tires peeling out coming from the front of the  
house. They rushed to the door, crowding behind Tara, who had come down  
the stairs after hearing the same sound.  
  
Leaving the two witches to look around, Spike looked over to where  
the body should have been. All that was left was the bloody stake. Even  
her weapons were gone.  
  
Tara came back inside first. "I think we're just jumpy, that  
probably wasn't anything."  
  
Spike turned to look at her. "No? That was Buffy leaving in a  
hurry. Looks like she left behind the stake, though."  
  
"You're s-sure she didn't d-d-dust?"  
  
It was easy to like the blonde witch. Hearing her stutter  
nervously reminded him of his old feelings for Dru. The desire to protect  
someone. Dawn made him feel the same way. He tried to make his voice  
soothing. "Sorry, luv, her blades are missing too. Hey, I'm betting she  
was too scared to face your witchy might again, that's all."  
  
*****  
  
Phone calls in the middle of the night were always bad. They had  
to be, because if it wasn't a disaster, he'd kill whomever had the nerve  
to wake him up. He answered the phone with a sharp tone, "Yes?"  
  
//"Adam? I... think I did something really stupid."//  
  
He curbed his first instinct, which was informing her that calling  
him at this hour was definitely stupid. Instead, he considered options.  
He'd chosen Los Angeles for it's remarkably dense sub-human population,  
and scarce immortal population. It was to be a target-rich environment to  
get back into slaying. It was also much too close to Sunnydale. But then  
being close to Sunnydale explained the sub-human presence.  
  
"No, don't tell me. Allow me to guess. You're in Sunnydale, and  
you've contacted those who knew you."  
  
//"How did you..."//  
  
"It's the single most phenomenally stupid thing a new immortal  
could do. How badly did they react?"  
  
There was a long pause. //"Tara staked me. Through the heart."//  
  
If it were possible, Adam would have developed an instant raging  
headache. On top of contact, he now had a revival problem, and Buffy  
sounded much too upset to drive back. The last thing he needed was to  
drag her out of a morgue tonight after she wrecked her new and expensive  
car that he'd paid for just to keep her out of trouble... Adam took a  
deep breath. "Go to a hotel, and stay there. I'll be there in the  
morning." She gave him the name of a motel that sounded run-down just  
based on the name, and her room number. "Fine. Get some sleep."   
  
He hung up the phone, and thought for a moment before picking it  
up again. It was always wise to have a back-up plan.  
  
*****  
  
Xander was the most skeptical, arguing that they'd made a mistake  
somewhere. "Are we sure she's a vampire? Unless she found something like  
that Gem of Mary. Are you even really sure it was her? It could have  
been some kind of trick."  
  
Spike clenched his teeth together. "Amara."  
  
"Xander, it was her. Her body, at least. I'm just glad we had  
Dawnie stay at your apartment, so she didn't have to see it." Willow had  
expunged her doubts after seeing the weapons. Two swords, each in a  
hidden pocket inside the long coat.  
  
Giles took on a familiar lecturing tone. "We are dealing with a  
firm that specializes in the supernatural. If there is another method of  
protecting a vampire against a wooden stake, they almost certainly know  
it. Tara should be finished with the de-invitation ritual by now, but we  
cannot assume it will keep her out. What I find curious is that she ran."  
  
Willow's voice was flat. "She knows we know. I told her when she  
called not to come back. She came back anyway. She has to know that when  
we find her, and we will find her, we'll dust her."  
  
Spike sat out of the discussion that followed, looking for ways to  
discover and remove the protection she seemed to have. If Buffy really  
was his childe now... he excused himself after a bit, and slipped out of  
the shop through the sewers. He'd do whatever it took to keep Dawn safe,  
even if it meant fighting Buffy. It was trying to accept that he might  
have to slay Buffy that was bothering him.  
  
*****  
  
He pulled into the parking lot, and chose the spot next to the  
little red car. It was even worse than he'd expected. Run-down is what  
this motel aspired to be. He knocked, and waited as the door opened a  
crack, then opened all the way as Buffy stepped back. She was even more  
on edge than he'd suspected, noticing a bare blade in each hand as she  
closed the door. And she clearly hadn't slept, the bed was still made.  
  
"You need to sleep. It would be best if I dealt with this alone.  
When I'm finished, we'll discuss where we'll be staying. L.A. seems to  
have been a grave error." Five minutes later, she was asleep, and he was  
gone to check into police reports for the night before.   
  
Adam wasted time figuring out that there was nothing to cover up,  
that no one had filed a report of any kind. Not that he'd expected one,  
but no paper trail of any kind could be allowed. He then wasted more time  
activating legacy connections between the watchers he had infiltrated, and  
a similarly named group called the Council of Watchers. It was there that  
he made the most startling discovery. The Council was still unaware of  
Buffy's death, and had recent reports from her still current watcher,  
Rupert Giles. Reports that indicated Buffy Summers was still slaying evil  
in Sunnydale. It took a large number of strings, but eventually Adam  
learned that he owned a small shop in Sunnydale called the Magic Box. By  
the time he had made his way there, sunset wasn't all that far off.  
  
*****  
  
The round table in the Magic Box had seen many meetings, research  
parties, and a surprising bit of use for doing homework. It looked like a  
council of war, now. The observer who formed this opinion had a fairly  
good idea what a council of war should look like, after all. Adam could  
hardly have failed to notice the obvious hush in the room, and based on  
the furtive looks he was getting, he'd clearly interrupted something.  
  
What was most curious, Adam could feel the unpleasant but familiar  
buzz running up his spine. There was an immortal nearby.  
  
"Welcome to the Magic Box. Can I assist you in spending your  
money here today? We have many fine--"  
  
Adam cut off the sales pitch of the young lady behind the counter  
as he headed into the store. It was too late to back off now, best to  
carry on and deal with the other when he revealed himself. "Thank you,  
but I'm looking for Rupert Giles." He stepped down near the table as the  
apparent gentleman in question stood up.  
  
"Yes, I'm Rupert Giles. How may I help you?" There was a pause  
in the conversation as Adam ignored Giles, staring past him and directly  
at a young blonde girl sitting at the table.  
  
"Buffy, what are you doing here?!" His mind whirled with  
potential disaster scenarios, each worse than the one before. Not the  
least of which was how much new damage had been done with his slip of the  
tongue.  
  
What he didn't expect was the perky response, accompanied by the  
bright smile. "Hello! I'm sorry, but I don't think I know you. Have we  
met before?"  
  
Adam managed to wipe the stunned expression from his face as he  
looked back at Giles, replacing it with an angry one. He was suprised  
enough not to notice that the buzz hadn't gone away as it usually did,  
putting him off balance and leading him to say more than he should. "What  
have you done to her? Erased her memory with magic? I'd ask how you  
found her, but I suppose that's irrelevant now. At least I understand why  
you've been submitting false reports to the council. You've obviously  
been planning this for months." He could feel his anger seething to the  
surface. How dare he interfere? "She doesn't belong to you!"  
  
Dead silence filled the store. It was broken moments later when a  
clever subroutine connected two facts for the Buffybot. One was encounter  
yesterday with a girl who looked just like her. The other was a man who  
knew her, but she didn't know. "Giles, is he talking about the other  
me?"  
  
*****  
  
The bot wasted a great deal of processor power trying to  
comprehend her error in the conversation. The man with the tense  
shoulders had left the store in a rush after her query. His expression  
matched one in her database filed under panicked. It seemed to have  
something to do with the other girl, though. His last words had been  
'You're not--', and then he was gone.   
  
Her schedule indicated this was a solitary patrol night. After  
tucking Dawn in, she gathered the standard weapon assortment as per  
Willow's checklist, and went out to vanquish the evil. It would never  
have occurred to her that given the events of the day, the standard patrol  
would be canceled.  
  
She selected a random route from her database. It was important  
not to be predictable, as evil would take advantage. This one was a long  
loop through all the cemeteries. Coincidentally, it was the original  
Buffy's route of choice when she had deep thinking to do. Starting from  
the motel, however, it was more natural to walk the route in the opposite  
direction.  
  
Early in the patrol, the bot rounded the corner of a crypt,  
tracking sounds that had been identified as fighting. She discovered the  
girl from the previous day surrounded by a large pack. She activated her  
combat mode, and aided the girl, who appeared to be using two swords to  
behead vampires. She made a note to ask Giles for training with swords,  
they appeared to be very effective. The fight ended quickly, and the bot  
tucked her remaining stakes away, recording the number lost so she could  
make new ones later.   
  
"Hello again!"  
  
Buffy stared at the bot, then slid her weapons away as well.  
"First Kendra, then Faith, now a robot. Is someone trying to give me a  
hint here?"  
  
This got her friendly smile number seven, linked to an apologetic  
tone. "I can't give you a hint, I haven't asked the riddle yet."  
  
-- End Chapter Four  
$Revision: 1.7 $  
$Date: 2002/04/20 05:59:23 $ 


	5. Chapter Five

He didn't patrol. No, he'd never go on a patrol. At least not  
when he was alone. That would be too much like a Slayer, and the last  
thing anyone would accuse him of being was a Slayer. Slayer's pet,  
possibly. Of course, he killed most demons who said that.  
  
He stalked. He prowled. Sometimes, just for a change, he lurked.  
He would even have called it hunting, if not for the fact that his kind  
hunted humans. But he never patrolled.  
  
Tonight, he was doing none of the above. While the white hats  
were researching for methods a vampire might use to live through being  
staked, he was guarding Dawn. Which was a damn shame. On the off-chance  
they found something, it would have been nice to know. Just in case.  
  
The TV was turned low, so as not to wake her up. Despite that, an  
hour after she'd gone up, the stairs creaked as she came back down.  
"Spike, Botty is missing. Could you go do a patrol and find her?"  
  
He should have asked why she was still up. He could have asked  
why she felt the need to check on the robot. "Sure thing, 'bit. I'll  
patrol for the 'bot." Oh, bloody hell.  
  
*****  
  
Of course she wasn't where she belonged. That would have made too  
much sense. And sense was in short supply at the moment.  
  
He made his way into the motel room, already concerned before the  
door was open. The bedsheets were rumpled, and if this poor excuse for a  
motel even had a housekeeping staff, it clearly hadn't made the bed since  
it was last slept in. There was an open bag of clothing on the small  
writing table, which was a moderately good sign. No signs of a fight,  
either. And no weapons.  
  
A second figure came in after the first, silently closing the door  
behind them. "I hope you haven't lost my student already, Methos."  
  
"Her clothing is still here, Mac. So is her car. I don't expect  
she's gone that far."  
  
"I always wondered where she vanished to at night. Are there any  
night clubs in this town?"  
  
The man who called himself Adam headed for the door. "I am her  
watcher, so I'll go and watch her. Do me a favor, and wait here? She  
might come back before I find her."  
  
Duncan made a sound of acknowledgement as Methos left, then sat  
down and wondered when he'd lost his heroic urges. He'd let a student leave  
early, and now he couldn't even summon up the will to track her down.  
  
*****  
  
What he needed was a tracking device. Without that, his best  
method of searching was to try the local popular spots. The Bronze seemed  
most likely, judging from the traffic in and out of it. If she was  
looking for something to kill, the best place to look was where the  
predators gathered. And naturally, predators gathered where the prey was.  
  
Pausing to drink a beer or three couldn't hurt.  
  
And it would serve as good insulation when Methos finally found  
his wayward charge, and discovered what new disaster had befallen her.  
Perhaps Siberia would have been a better place to take her. Perhaps it  
wasn't too late.  
  
*****  
  
Doesn't matter. Don't think about it, just find the bloody  
machine and drag it back. Maybe the Bronze... no, bloody hacker witch  
said that that was off-limits for the robot now, because of the pool  
hustling incident. Still don't see what the problem was. It's not like  
it was my fault that Red decided geometry and physics should be part of  
her programming. Made nearly three hundred off it, too. Shady Grove,  
next on the list. Looks dead. Ha! Looks dead. Xander would have  
appreciated... Hang on, was that voices?  
  
"Dawn says my peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches are the  
best. And Willow said I can watch cooking shows again, but I'm still only  
allowed to make lunch."  
  
Spike inched up to, and peered around the corner of a mausoleum,  
then ducked back. He could see that the 'bot was sitting on the end of a  
sarcophagus, facing his direction, and she seemed to be chatting with a  
girl sitting on the opposite end, facing away from him. Except something  
seemed strange with the picture.  
  
A voice that sounded familiar asked, "Is Dawn doing well in  
school?"  
  
After a pause, the chirpy voice of the BuffyBot replied, "Very  
well! She made many loud complaints about a pop quiz in her math class  
during the last schooling cycle, and then Willow took everyone out for ice  
cream when she got an A on the test."  
  
It was the same voice. Either the 'bot was talking to herself, or  
his long lost childe was still right here in Sunnydale, just a few meters  
away.  
  
Spike strode around the corner as Botty finished speaking, and  
chucked the butt of his cigarette at the base of their current seat.  
"Well well, look who's finally back. Hallo, Slayer."  
  
*****  
  
"I hate to be the one to suggest this, but could it be time to get  
Faith out of prison?" Xander immediately wilted under the intense stares  
directed his way. He ducked his head and put his nose back into the book  
in front of him.  
  
Anya smacked his arm. "You are not allowed to have orgasms with  
Faith!"  
  
Giles was the first to break the uncomfortable silence that  
followed Anya's outburst. "I am certain that our solution lies in  
information. Information about what this law firm did to Buffy. In the  
event superior fighting skills are required-"  
  
Willow broke in excitedly, "Oh, I think I've got something!  
There's a procedure that demon doctors use to remove the heart of a  
vampire... Oh, wait. It says the vampire dies with the next rising of  
the sun."  
  
It was nearly ten minutes later that Xander ventured to speak up  
again. "Say, uh... Will... I was thinking. What if, instead of removing  
the heart, they just moved it? Like six inches to the right, or  
something."  
  
Tara's eyes went wide. "You mean I missed VampBuffy's heart?"  
  
At that moment, the phone rang.  
  
*****  
  
The real Buffy barely flinched at the appellation, sliding off her  
cold perch as both Slayer and vampire ignored the friendly greeting from  
the robot. She moved back a few steps as Spike approached, one hand  
tucked inside her coat, then held her place, simply watching as he  
continued forward, putting himself within arms reach.  
  
"Looking for easy information, are we? Trying to suss out who  
dies first, I suppose. Always figured you'd be just like the fairy,  
wanting to drive them mad first. Has it already started? That why the  
little kitty's missing?"  
  
Her expression was fairly stony, a momentary confusion passing  
over her features at the mention of the cat. "I wouldn't-"  
  
Spike cut her off with a curt, "Don't bloody lie to your sire,  
bitch!" swinging his fist at her jaw with the final word. It came as a  
total shock when his head was suddenly struck by an agonizing pain,  
driving him to his knees as the chip nearly made him black out. When the  
pain finally faded, he looked up to see Buffy sprawled on the ground,  
mumbling something as she stared at him in shock.  
  
After the third repetition, he realized she was repeating two  
words over and over, slightly louder each time. What took a bit longer to  
figure out was that she seemed to be trying to convince herself, not him.  
  
"I'm... human?"  
  
*****  
  
He stopped the tape, and hit rewind. Again. When it hit the  
start, he started to reach for the play button again, then hurled the  
remote against the wall, watching dispassionately as it exploded into  
plastic shards.  
  
Angel was barely aware when Cordelia entered his room and sighed  
loudly. "You've been watching that thing over and over for two days. Are  
you trying to figure out which one you're jealous of or what?"  
  
There was no response at all.  
  
"Oh I get it. You're just pissed no one invited you to the party.  
The two women you spent the most time obsessing over, and it turns out  
they'd rather be with each other. Was it good? Did it get you all  
tingly-"  
  
"Cordy, what do you want?"  
  
"A pay raise, but I'll settle for you paying attention. Wesley  
figured out where the apartment in those pictures is. Except she's not  
there anymore. So I called the magic shop a few minutes ago. Guess who's  
in Sunnydale?"  
  
"Buffy."  
  
"Oh yeah. But wait, it gets so much better. Stakes don't work on  
her. Willow said that she fell down like she was dead, then when no one  
was around, she pulled the stake out and left. Of course, no one was  
looking, but the stake was there, and she wasn't, and they heard her car  
driving away."  
  
A very old memory tickled at the back of his mind, someone that  
both Angelus and Angel had run into before, more than a century separated.  
"Cordy, was Buffy, by any chance, carrying a sword?"  
  
Cordelia frowned, then crossed her arms. "Yeah. Two of them,  
actually. How the hell did you know that?"  
  
Angel ignored her question, "Did you know that Buffy was adopted?  
She was apparently abandoned at birth, found on the doorstep of a church."  
  
As much as Cordelia disliked Buffy, it was hard not to feel at  
least a tiny pang of sympathy for her. "No wonder she has so many issues  
about people leaving her."  
  
Angel reached out and picked up one of the pictures he'd been  
sent. "I should have figured this out before. Look at the drapes in the  
window. A vampire would have black-out curtains to keep safe."  
  
"Whatever. Little miss can't-be-staked might also be sunproof."  
  
"I've got a different theory."  
  
*****  
  
If a vampire could be accused of pouting, Darla would have been.  
"Two days and she still hasn't called."  
  
"Yes, well. She's been a very busy little demon. Got herself  
staked last night by that other witch. Don't look like that. Joan is a  
little more difficult to kill than a vampire. She'll be back and biting  
you again before you know it."  
  
Darla smiled, nearly purring with satisfaction. "Long slow bites  
that last for days...."  
  
Lilah quirked her lips. "Joan is learning a very important  
lesson in Sunnydale. You can never go home again."  
  
*****  
  
Spike walked into the Magic Box, calling out as he entered, "Hallo  
all! You'll never guess what I learned tonight." The researching crew  
looked up as not one, but two Buffys followed Spike into the shop. The  
second one looked rather nervous.  
  
"Spike, what the hell-"  
  
Spike dropped his arm on the shoulders of the real Buffy. "Quiet,  
whelp. I'm not going to pretend I understand how, but she's human. The  
chip nearly fried my brain when I hit her."  
  
Willow was the first out of her chair, and the first to wrap her  
arms around Buffy, hugging as tightly as she could. The others were barely  
half a step behind, all of them babbling loudly and happily. Spike backed  
off with a bemused expression, listening as Anya declared that she was  
happy Buffy wasn't dead, Tara apologizing for the stake, and Willow simply  
weeping for joy.  
  
Giles backed away first, and began cleaning his glasses. He  
cleared his throat only to say, "Welcome home, Buffy."  
  
-- End Chapter Five  
$Revision: 1.7 $  
$Date: 2003/02/11 08:41:23 $ 


End file.
